point and click generation. the spell check swren rags fits, but i prefer the point and click generation because internet browsers will correct your spelling as you type and fill in the blanks for you. all you have to do is click. so remember, we want to hear from you. log on to cnn.com/newsroom. share your comments and we'll get them on the air. tony harris is up next with more of the newsroom. i'm fredricka whitfield, have a great weekend. >> have a great weekend, fred. it is friday, march 12th, and here are the top stories for you in the "cnn newsroom." crunch time at the capitol. the president changes his travel schedule to help push a health care reform bill over the finish line. toxic air at the world trade center site, a settlement for rescue and recovery workers who say dust and fumes made them sick. plus, the air at 30,000 feet. >> so we're going to test the air on board this plane. i'm turning the air monitor on. for 90 minutes it's going to sample the air. >> think about a long, hot shower after your next flight to wash off the engine fuel. good morning, everyone, i'm tony harris and you are in the "cnn newsroom." the health care reform debate heads toward a final showdown. democrats still counting votes but they have a key procedural move for monday and president obama keeping up the pressure on lawmakers. he is delaying an overseas trip to try to push the process forward. suzanne malveaux is following that part of the story for us and dana bash is joining us by phone from capitol hill where democratic leaders are meeting. dana, let's start with you on the phone. dana, my understanding is that if you're not in the room already, you will be, where the speaker's news conference is set to begin any moment now. what are we likely to hear from the speaker, and for me better yet, what do you want to know? >> reporter: well, i just came from outside a meeting where house democrats were discussing health care and it certainly sounds in talking to several house democratic leaders, tony, like things are moving. you mentioned that the president postponed his trip abroad next week. there is one specific reason for that and that is because house democrats i'm talking to say that they will need him for a final push on health care. they are waiting for a couple of procedural, yet important things. first they're waiting for a final say from the congressional budget office on how much the changes that they're talking about will cost. and something else that they are still waiting for, sounds technical, sounds like sausage making but it is critical, critical and that is the process through which they will do this very complicated plan because it sounds like process but it is politics on who passes what bill first because it all comes down to what they feel that they can do in the house, which is the bill that's been passed in the senate, which is quite different. >> okay, dana, stand by for a second. i've got a couple of other questions for you but i want to get to the white house and suzanne malveaux. is it as simple as dana just laid out? is the president delaying his trip to push this process forward? >> reporter: he certainly is, tony. dana is absolutely right. one of the things i've learned from a senior administration official, yesterday when the president was sitting down with the democratic leadership, they had a frank conversation and he said, look, he was willing to push back, postpone this trip to indonesia and australia if it made a difference here, if they could push this thing forward. and those members of congress said yes, we want you to do that. we think you should be on the phone making calls. we think you should be meeting with us in person. they want presidential intervention as one democratic source put it, that this would be the time for him to step up and it's not the time for him to go overseas, so if he could delay it, he would. the president said in fact that was what he was willing to do. tony, there was kind of a preemptive move, if you will, some concern that the first lady and the daughters would also be accompanying him on the trip, at least the part to australia. some grumblings that maybe that wouldn't look great during the spring break if he's hanging out body surfing in sydney, even if it is for his family for a couple of days, while lawmakers are trying to get through this very important legislative process, so that too. they're avoiding that kind of picture and that kind of criticism if that was to come about. this is going to be a president that is fully engaged here to try to push this thing through, one last effort, over the next seven to nine days. >> stand by, back to dana on the phone. dana, i know i get a little walkish with this stuff but help me understand this for everyone watching. what has to happen here in the house. does the house need to pass the senate version of health care reform to move forward here? >> reporter: they do need to pass it. the question is whether they will pass that along with the package of changes. that is really the crux of the discussion here. whether they can do that all at once. whether they have to pass it and the president has to sign that into law before congress can take up that package of changes. as you said, it is critically important politically and here's why. you have several house democrats who simply, first of all, are getting pounded back home for voting for anything regarding health care at all and more specifically there are really problematic policy issues in the senate bill for them. just, for example, an excise tax on high-cost plans. what they're talking about is making changes to that, but that won't happen until after the house democrats take a tough political vote saying, okay, we approve this language. even more importantly what's known as the corn husker kick jack. if the house democrats of to vote on the senate bill they will be voting for a health care bill that still has the special deal in there for nebraska, even though it will be dealt with down the road. what they are doing is giving the republican opponents the ammunition for tv ads and, you know, so many other things against them because they will be casting a tough vote. but i should tell you that the house majority whip, he told myself and other reporters just a few moments ago, that he actually thinks that they can push this vote in the next ten days. it really feels that this might be the real crunch time. don't hold me to it, but it feels that way. >> suzanne, is that essentially the timetable the white house is looking at as well? >> reporter: yes, dana is right. when you talk about crunch time, you're talking about sunday here. that is march 21st as opposed to the 18th. three days, they believe those three days could make a difference in the president postponing his trip, at least for part one of this process and that is for the house to pass the senate version of health care reform. the goal was thursday, march 18th. there is a tacit admission that they don't yet have that together. they don't have the votes to meet that particular deadline. but if they extend it by a couple of days, work into the weekend, they believe that at least part one of this process could actually happen in the next ten days or so. that's why this last-minute push by the president clearly -- and tope tony, you're going to see him in meetings, on the phone with key members who are negotiating with the democrats to make sure this happens. this is a very serious thing for the white house and the president because it is his number one domestic priority and he's not going to be able to really focus on anything else until this is resolved, so he's trying to show that he is serious about it. >> well, i hope america is watching and paying attention because this is how big things get done in this country or not. tric terrific reporting. suzanne malveaux and dana bash as well. ladies appreciate it. thank you. probably good to remind you of the cost of health care in this country. what we're talking about here, a federal study released in january shows the u.s. spent an average of $7,681 per person on health care in 2008. it adds up to an eye-popping $2.3 trillion, which was actually a slower rate of increased spending because of the recession. my goodness. the day's other big stories we're following for you, lawyers asking a federal judge today to sign off on a 9/11 settlement. it could be worth more than $657 million. rescue and recovery workers contend fume and dust at the world trade center site made them sick. 95% of the plaintiffs must accept the settlement for it to be binding. we will break down the settlement with trutv's "in session" legal analyst. a bankruptcy examiner has completed his financial autopsy of lehman brothers. the firm's collapse in 2008 helped trigger the global financial crisis. the examiner concludes lehman used an accounting gimmick to hide billions in debt. he calls the tactic materially misleading. tiger woods' agent is knocking down reports his client is about to return to golf. he tells cnn no decision yet. one newspaper says woods will play the arnold palmer invitational march 25th. reports also say woods has hired former white house press secretary ari fleischer to orchestrate his comeback. should the united states deal with the taliban, the group that harbored the 9/11 terrorists. we are digging deeper in america's next moves in afghanistan. rob marciano is tracking weather. some strong storms pushing through the southeast. we will check in with rob in just a couple of minutes. first the latest at the new york stock exchange. take a look at the numbers here. the dow up modestly, five points. we are following these numbers throughout the day for you right here in the "cnn newsroom." the pakistani military was the target but mostly civilians were killed in two suicide attacks in lahore. at least 39 people are dead. the bombers struck in a busy market area. the attacks were timed right before friday prayers. pakistan is on the agenda this hour as president obama meets with his national security team. the secretaries of state and defense. among those gathering in the situation room, they're also expected to focus on afghanistan and recent operations targeting the taliban. cnn's reza sayah is in islamabad. good to see you. there is talk of a new strategy that's taking shape here, talking to the taliban instead of going after them. how might that work? >> reporter: well, it's a great question, tony. i wish i could give you some details and specifics, but here's the problem, neither u.s. nor afghan officials have come out with any details or specifics as to how to talk to the taliban. all we've heard is an aggressive push to sell these two terms reconciliation and reintegration. they say the plan is to buy off low-level taliban fighters with cash and make peace with some taliban leaders by telling them, look, you can be part of the government if you stop fighting. but how are you going to talk to them? who exactly are you going to talk to and where are you going to talk to them? these are all questions that remain unanswered. one man here in pakistan, the very outspoken spy chief, former spy chief says he has the answer, and the answer is to talk to mullah omar himself, the leader of the afghan taliban, the same man who protected osama bin laden. here's hamid. >> you have to engage him. you have to talk to him. for heaven sake why beat about the bush. but then put up your own conditionalities. ask whoever they are talking to. we do not want to see any attack on america from your soil. legitimate, absolutely legitimate. >> reporter: we should point out that hamid gul is a fierce critic of u.s. policy in this region but few know the taliban better than him. he along with the cia helped train the afghans fight the soviets. many went on to become the taliban. he says he knows what makes the taliban tick. he knows mullah omar will accept talks, but so far u.s. officials say we are not talking to mullah omar. >> that is interesting. reza, i've got to play this sound for you and for everyone from the president of afghanistan, hamid karzai. it is something we certainly didn't hear this tone when pervez musharraf was running pakistan. have a listen and give me your thoughts on the other side here. >> india is a close friend of afghanistan. but pakistan is a brother of afghanistan. pakistan is a twin brother of afghanistan. we're more than twins, we are conjoined twins. there is no separation. there cannot be a separation. >> reza, what do you think? >> reporter: well, look, they are twins in that geographically they're right next to one another, but pakistan has not always been brotherly to afghanistan. remember many in afghanistan, many in washington suspect that elements within pakistan's spy agency are supporting the afghan taliban, using them to fight a proxy war against india on afghan -- afghanistan's soil. if that continues to be the case, then u.s. policy here is in deep trouble. but over the past couple of months there's been indications that there's been a shift in policy here in pakistan, with pakistan security forces making a number of very high value afghan taliban arrests. the afghan taliban's number two. if that trend continues, that bodes well for u.s. policy here. >> appreciate it, great analysis as always. just how dirty is the air you breathe at 30,000 feet? we put samples collected from a transatlantic flight to a toxic test. a cnn investigation gives new meaning to the phrase "fear of flying." it has to do with the air you breathe inside the plane the at 30,000 feet. senior correspondent allan chernoff has been looking into so-called fume event. allan, you actually tested the air on board a flight? >> reporter: absolutely, for very good reason. tony, we've reported how toxic fumes from engine oil can seep into the cabin's air supply system because that air comes through the engines. so how do we know the air on board our flight is safe? well, we collected samples on board a transcontinental flight, i'm not going to mention the airline because this is an issue that affects all airlines. even though i was well aware of the risk, our results were surprising. could the air on board your next flight be toxic? ventilation air comes through the engine, so an oil leak can result in engine oil mist containing neurotoxins to seep into the cabin. so we're going to test the air on board this plane. i'm turning the air monitor on. for 90 minutes it's going to sample the air. toxins in the air would leave residue on surfaces of the cabin, so i'm swabbing here to bring samples back to the laboratory so we can determine if indeed there have been any talks ins in the air here. >> let's have a look. >> reporter: this toxicologist at the university of british columbia has studied air quality on board planes for years. >> you'll take this out very carefully. >> reporter: he places the air filt and alcohol swabs into test tubes. his research associate adds solvent to extract whatever chemicals our samples captured. they also analyzed some of producer laura dolan's hair to see if it collected toxins from her seat belt cushion. he runs it through a mass spectrometer, a device that measures molecular weight and chemical composition. the finding, our swabs of the air cabin surface do contain a neurotoxin known as tcp, which is in engine oil. >> it's the pattern that really nails it down to the actual engine oil. this is the pattern you niend engine oil and this is the pattern you find in the swab sample that you took from the aircraft. >> reporter: tim mah has analyzed surface swabs from 40 different flights and says he almost always finds tcp. and on virtually all of them you find it? >> pretty much so, yes. they are at significant levels. >> reporter: significant but not large. the biggest we found, 44 billionth of a gram. our air samples do not show any traces of tcp. that means toxic residue has collected on the surface of the cabin from either a prior fume event or from gradual continual accumulation of toxins. >> there is a fair amount of remnant material floating around literally in the ventilation system. this comes out on a regular basis. that's what you're measuring. >> reporter: so even if the flight you're on hasn't had a fume event, there are toxic fumes in that ventilation system and it's coming out. >> that's exactly the case. >> reporter: he explains his research shows when engines are shut down, some oil can leak overnight. when a plane starts up in the morning, a mist of oil can spread through the cabin. so you don't want to be the very first person on the plane when they turn it on. >> that's what pilots are. pilots are the ones that turn on the engine. >> reporter: the hair showed traces of tcp as well but only one trillionth of a gram. her hair probably picked it up from the seat. that would say to us when you get off that plane, you should take a shower. >> well, you should take a shower anyways. >> reporter: i'll be certain that i do. the two leading aircraft manufacturers, boeing and airbus, which both use the same ventilation system acknowledge that fume events can occur but they say the system does provide good and safe cabin air quality. once again the amount of toxins we found on the cabin interior are not going to cause any health problems. the people at greatest risk of those who work on board the plane. pilots and flight attendants. and he says those people should be equipped with air monitors, just like the ones we had, so they can consider toxicity levels, especially if there were to be a fume event. tony. >> okay, good stuff. allan chernoff for us in new york. appreciate it, thank you. let's get to our top stories now. americans kept right on shopping in february despite getting buried by snowstorms. the commerce department says retail sales jumped a surprising 0.3 of a percent. that is the biggest gain since november. overall sales would have been stronger, but toyota dragged down the auto sector. a federal appeals court says the pledge of allegiance with the words "under god" is not a government endorsement of religion. that's because no federal law requires students to recite it. the decision is in line with other federal appeals courts. the atheist who brought the case says he will appeal again. coolidge high school in washington made natalie randolph its head football coach today. she is believed to be the only female head coach for a boys varsity high school football team. randolph spent two years as an assistant coach at another d.c. high school. she played in a professional women's league. hello again. i'm rob marciano in the cnn severe weather center. a couple of things are lining up for a messy weekend. the southeast and the northeast looking pretty nasty. these two storms will collide and roll up to develop into something that will make for nastiness, including some flooding. we're looking at flood warnings or watches posted from north georgia all the way to rhode island, back through parts of ohio, even stretching through to parts of iowa due to not only heavy rain but the snowpack that's beginning to melt. so you get the rain on top of the snowpack and flooding will become an issue, that's for sure. places like d.c. could really see action. we're seeing action from nashville back through atlanta. a couple of these storms east of huntsville heading towards chattanooga are deemed to be severe. we had some damage yesterday in the way of some winds and tornado damage across central florida east of tampa in citrus and polk counties. that severe weather driving a little farther south towards alligator alley. there will definitely be heavy rain with this and heavy rain developing or at least light rain will develop to heavy rain across d.c. and this storm will roll up the eastern seaboard with not only rain, but also wind. if you're traveling today, i want to point this out, ground stop at la guard, newark and philly seeing delays. it's kid of a mess if you are traveling. tomorrow across the northeast an even bigger mess. tony, that's all the good news we have in the weather department. >> have a great weekend, man. appreciate it, rob. the more than 30,000 u.s. troops wounded in iraq and afghanistan leave from one fight to take on another, adapting to their new lives. one expert builder, our cnn hero of the week, is helping. dan spends his retirement giving wounded soldiers a place to call home. >> baghdad ended up being a hell of a ride. i sustained a very severe blast injury. my life just came to a complete halt. >> how are you doing? how's everything? you look sharp today. >> thank you. >> i've been building custom homes for 30 years. one of the most important things for a family is a home. >> i want you to read a sign for me. >> future home of sergeant alexander reyes, united states army. >> congratulations. >> giving these folks a new home means the world. >> just thank you. that's all i can say. >> my name is dan wallrath. five years ago i had a friend of mine call me. a friend of his, his son had been injured in iraq. this is the day after he graduated from boot camp. he showed me some pictures. his son was a big strapping marine. then he showed me pictures of steven in the hospital. it just broke my heart. steven was wheelchair-bound. we were going to have to remodel. i had no idea how i was going to pay for it. dan just said we're going to take care of it. >> we remodelled that home and i realized this is not an isolated case. so i went back to my builder buddies and said we've got to do something. we build homes for returning heroes from iraq and afghanistan. the houses are mortgage-free. it changes the whole family's life. it gives them just a new start so that they can move forward. these young men and women are doing this for you and me. how can i not help them? >> you know, so far dan and his organization have completed homes for four veterans and begun construction on five more. to see how dan found his inspiration or to nominate someone you think is changing the world go to cnn.com/heroes. right now, there's a nurse saving a life in baltimore. 20 minutes later, she'll bring one into the world in seattle. later today, she'll help an accident victim in kansas. how can one nurse be in all these places? through the nurses she taught in this place. johnson & johnson knows, behind every nurse who touches a life... there's a nurse educator... who first touched them. ♪ you're a nurse ♪ you make a difference about all the discounts boswe're offering. i've got. i some catchphrases that'llideas make these savings even more memorable. gecko: all right... gecko: good driver discounts. now that's the stuff...? boss: how 'bout this? gecko: ...they're the bee's knees? boss: or this? gecko: sir, how 'bout just "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance." boss: ha, yeah, good luck with that catching on! anncr: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. as we're finishing up, i mention i'm going to the bathroom more often. he checks it out. good thing. turns out... my urinary symptoms -- such as going frequently, trouble going, flow starts and stops... and going often at night -- are due to bph, also called enlarged prostate. he says over time, avodart has been shown to shrink the prostate, improve urinary symptoms, and reduce the risk of prostate surgery. only your health care provider can tell if your symptoms... are from bph and not a more serious condition... like prostate cancer. do not donate blood until 6 months after stopping avodart. tell your doctor if you have liver disease. rarely sexual side effects, swelling or tenderness... of the breasts can occur. avodart is for men only. women should not take or handle avodart... due to risk of a specific birth defect. today's the day to talk to your doctor... about your urinary symptoms and find out... if avodart is right for you. new york city agrees to pay more than $657 million to ground zero workers. it must also be approved by more than 10,000 plaintiffs. they say they became sick from toxic fumes and dust at the world trade center site after the 9/11 attacks. >> i'm 52 years old, and they told me i've got lungs of a 90-year-old man. >> oh, boy. legal analyst -- think about that for a second, sunny hostin from trutv joins me from new york. good friday to you. a compelling story to be sure. it took, what, two years to negotiate this deal and now it goes before a federal judge today. sunny, the judge is going to approve this deal, right? >> it appears that way. i think the question on everyone's mind, tony, is was it really worth the wait. six years of legal wrangling, two years just to negotiate this sel settlement. in order for this to work, 100% of the plaintiffs have to agree to participate in it. >> why is that? >> well, it's interesting that you ask that. under the terms of this settlement, if only 95% of the participants participate, the plaintiffs participate, they get $575 million. now that will be, you know, divided around -- between 10,000 plaintiffs. it's going to be a boone for the lawyers because the lawyers will probably get about a third of that. so when you look at it in terms of is it worth the wait, you've got people that will get anywhere between $1,000 up to $1 to $2 million for their injuries so i would suspect some of them will opt out of this class and still sue the city of new york. >> well, that was my next question. i'm wondering what are the conversations like today between some of these emergency rescue workers and their attorneys? i mean look, they're kicking this back and forth. do we opt in or do we opt out? >> exactly, because again, the compensation will be commensurate with what their injuries are. if someone is really injured, we're hearing stories of people that have cancer, a lot of respiratory illnesses, a lot of asthma-related illnesses. if they are really, really ill, would $5,000 suffice for that? but i will say this. there is a part of the settlement that will provide insurance and money for future illnesses, for perhaps, you know, cancer down the line. i think that is something that many of these plaintiffs will consider, because that will be very helpful at the end of the day. >> you know, isn't fraud something the city has to protect against here? people filing fraudulent claims to get a piece of this pot? >> absolutely. and the judge in this case, judge alvin silverstein, really has mentioned that and is concerned about that. i think what they are planning on doing in looking at some of the reports and reading some of the terms of the agreement, each plaintiff is going to have to submit proof of their participation in the cleanup and they will also have to present medical documentation of their injuries and of their illness. and this judge has said that he will review every single one of these plaintiffs, every single one of their claims, to make sure that there is no fraud here. that's unusual. >> that's a lot of work ahead. sunny, good to see you. good weekend to you. sunny hostin, analyst on trutv. still to come in the newsroom, conflicted from childhood. all boy on the outside but on the inside a little girl. a rare look at a life-long gender identity struggle. self-injectable ra medicine you take just once a month. it's simponi™, and taken with methotrexate, it helps relieve the pain, stiffness, and swelling of ra with one dose a month. visit 4simponi.com to see if you qualify for a full year of cost support. simponi™ can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious and sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, cancer in children and adults, heart failure, nervous system disorders, liver or blood problems, and allergic reactions. before starting simponi™, your doctor should test you for tb and assess your risk of infections, including fungal infections and hepatitis b. ask your doctor if you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, or develop symoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start simponi™ if you have an infection. [ female announcer ] ask your rheumatologist about simponi™. just one dose, once a month. checking our top stories right now, president obama delays a trip to asia to focus on a final push for health care reform. a democratic leadership source tells cnn the house budget committee will hold a key procedural vote monday starting the reconciliation process. initial autopsy results say corey haim suffered from pulmonary congestion meaning his heart was enlarged and he had water in his lungs. he was found dead at his home earlier this week. a lesbian high school student is suing her school district trying to force it to reinstatement their prom. the student says many of her classmates are blaming her for the controversy. in a ground zero-bre -- ground-breaking documentary cnn tells the story. steven stanton had a job, a wife and son then he was planning to become a woman. he was fired and made a change he had been moving toward all his life. the cnn documentary "her name was steven" follows the transition to become susan. the journey goes back to early childhood. >> steven in a space helmet. >> i was never attracted to dolls and pink things and all that stuff. i loved digging in the dirt. at that time was feeling very different from other kids, not knowing what i was feeling. you feel that the outside doesn't match the inside. in a very real way that is not easily understood. so i can't give a real good clinical definition of what a transsexual is, but for me at a very early age, i just knew that what was inside, this presence, this feeling of being somebody other than what i was on the outside was real and has been something i've struggled with for many years of my life. i started keeping journals i think when i was about eight or nine. i was writing about feeling a sense of two presence in me even at a small age and trying to understand how that worked. when i was a kid i used to equate it to never feeling alone but never having friends. >> i got out of my grungy clothes and placed my dirty body in soothing hot water. i lathered my legs, arms and chest with a thick coat of white soap. i looked at my body floating in the water and imagined i was a beautiful nurse. my legs looked so pretty and my arms so feminine, but i knew this was wrong. i was a boy, not a girl. >> my dad was always distant. he worked very hard and very long. my dad made an okay salary. we were certainly not well off. my mom was a full-time mom. she was a homemaker. i remember sitting down while i had her attention. she was in the kitchen. i asked her, mom, if i had been a girl who would my name have been? and she said without delay, it would have been susan. when she said that, i can remember as soon as she said it would have been susan, this explosive sound going off in my mind that my gosh, that is what its name is. that's what my name is and that's what i've been feeling for so many years. i just knew it to be true and it was just a powerful sensation that i could feel, even as a small child, that it's susan. that it's susan. >> more on the difficult decision to go from male to female. i will be joined by someone making the change and helping others in the process. we're back in a moment. oh sure, we have plenty of employees that... you can label as "different." like janice. uh-huh. yeah. fashion deficient. and tom... copy incapable. it's open kimono time. looking good, dan. oh, we want to make sure all our ducks in a row. yeah. volume control syndrome. but we focus on the talent and skill that each person... brings to the team. i mean, no one's really concerned about labels. not even mine. labels get in the way. disabilities rarely do. visit thinkbeyondthelabel.com to evolve your work force. we are gearing up for cnn's ground-breaking documentary that premieres this weekend. it follows one man's journey to become a woman. my next guest is on a similar journey. this is him before turning his life around and here she is now, elizabeth crankshaw. joining me from birmingham, alabama. elizabeth, good to see you. thanks for taking the time and making the trip. it's good to have you here. how long now have you been living your wife as a woman? >> five years now. >> five years. if you would, describe your journey. when did you begin to feel conflicted about your gender identity and how did that conflict sort of manifest itself in your life? >> i grew up in california and i really didn't notice that much variation between boys and girls until puberty hit. and i'm sitting there watching a girl next door and her body change and it's like, okay, when is my body going to start changing that way. and when it started changing, you know, as a boy going into manhood, it was like the wrong direction. >> did you see it in your words changing in your view the wrong direction. did you feel tormented, your body telling you one thing as your mind is saying just the opposite? >> yes. and you kind of go up and down in your feelings. the problem is every time you go up, then you come down but you don't quite go all the way back down so it constantly adds to itself. and the feeling of who you are compared to who you're presenting as, the conflict just grows to the point where you just have to do something about it. >> you've been married, correct? >> that's correct. >> can i ask you why you got married? weren't you having these sort of gender identity thoughts as you were dating, courting, marrying, now your ex-wife? >> yes. you tend to develop -- you try to talk yourself out of it. you're saying that because you find somebody that you care about, you sit there and you try to convince yourself that this is going to be the perfect -- you know, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect wife, keep those feelings at bay, and you can be who you're supposed to be. but like i said, it just -- it slowly builds back up on you and it comes out and you have to do something about it. and it got to the point where my ex-wife and i were basically living as roommates because i could not tell her who i was, so i was constantly guarded, constantly hiding behind the facade of being her husband, being a man. >> are you considering gender reassignment surgery? >> yes, i am. i'm actually in the process. >> you're in the process? >> well, i transitioned five years ago, living full-time as a woman. i started hormones six years ago. >> i hear it's pretty expensive. is it in the neighborhood of 15 to, what, $25,000 and it's not covered by insurance? >> that's correct. >> that's a big hurdle to leap over. and you're moving forward, correct? >> i am slowly but surely trying to move forward. it's kind of hard to do that and continue to support my house and my life. >> one more question for you. living your sexual identity in, you know, small town, huntsville, alabama, how has the community responded to you? you're smiling. to you and your work with the north alabama gender center? >> actually the response has been remarkable. when i decided to go full-time, i had the greatest fear of losing my family, losing my friends, losing my job. and where would i -- you know, where would i be, where would i go, would i end up being homeless. but i slowly came out. came out to my was very accepti. so was my father, which was very surprising, and i'm very grateful for. and my brother's trying to do his best to understand, but he's also been very supportive. >> well, elizabeth, appreciate it. thanks for taking the time to talk to us. >> you're quite welcome. thank you. >> and sharing some insights on your life. and, of course, you will hear more on this on cnn's saturday and sunday night, a popular local official with a secret ignites a national media firestorm. a private choice, a very public consequence. cnn's broadcast premiere of "her name was steven," saturday and sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. you know, if you're a parent, then you know getting your kids to eat their vegetables can be an epic struggle. our dr. sanjay gupta found a school cafeteria in georgia offering vegetarian options for lunch, with surprising success. >> reporter: tofu dogs, black bean burgers, soy chicken patties, not a typical diet for most teens, but a middle school in millburn, georgia, the kids don't seem to care. >> i like the vegetarian chicken nuggets and the vegetarian corn dogs. >> i eat the grilled cheese sandwiches and apples, and sometimes i'll eat the veggie burger. >> reporter: berkmar is one of the gwinnett county schools that are offering vegetarian. and they are voting vegetarian at a surprising rate. >> around 5,000 students for us are vegetarian. >> reporter: some eat vegetarian for religious reasons, but many of the 10 to 12-year-olds say they choose it for health reasons. >> i went to the doctor and i was ten pounds overweight. since the doctor said that could be more -- a faster way when i grow up i could die faster, so my mom didn't like this, so she started making more healthy food, and actually made me lose the ten pounds. >> because i want to stay healthy and have a healthy life. >> reporter: all in all, gwinnett county schools have served close to 500,000 vegetarian meals in this last year alone. and karen crawford hopes to have what they learned now will stay with them for a lifetime. >> we know that nutrition profoundly affects, you know, how kids -- their ability to learn and grow and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and it's important to teach them these lessons when they're young. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. it's delicious. delicious. i know. but it can't have... can't have about half a i assure you it does. i was expecting... expecting sawdust and cardboard? i know. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. ok. i'll take a box, but you probably already knew that. 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[ male announcer ] competition... it pushes us to work harder. to be better. to win. but sometimes even rivals realize they share a common goal. america's beverage companies have removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools, reducing beverage calories by 88%. together with schools, we're helping kids make more balanced choices every day. ♪ you know, when it comes to getting our economy back on track, a lot depends on you and me. and wall street has two new reports that show how shoppers are feeling these days. stephanie elam is in new york with details. this had been -- i tell you, the news had better be positive here, or it's tough on the messenger. what are we hearing about consumer spender, stephanie? >> it's up to you to do some spending, tony, and bring it back to you and say it's all your fault if it doesn't work out. we really need people to spend, it's two-thirds of the economic drivers in the country, and if people and businesses do not start doing that and make some investments, the economy does not stand a chance. here's where we stand today, retail sales rose last month, 0.3 of a percent, but that's key, november and december, the holiday months those are when people usually do their spending and obviously this is good news. also encouraging the report shows people spent money in a wide variety of places, appliance and department stores, furniture store, sales at restaurants and bars were up, too, a sign that we're eating out a bit more often. but we'll have to wait to see if the trend holds up, because another report shows that consumer sentiment went down a little bit this month. and today, the flat-line dancing today with the zou and the nasdaq. >> why did anybody show up, that's all we got going? >> not a lot of drivers this weekend. we'll see on monday. time for your "top of the hour" reset, i'm tony harris in the "cnn newsroom." high noon for health care on capitol hill. house democrats move closer to sealing a deal on reform. in new york, a judge reviews a multimillion dollar settlement for ground zero workers who got sick. across the nation a bad economy means a bleak bottom line for schools. the state superintendents for arizona and georgia, live this hour. let's do this. let's get started for provide. health care reform, the end game. house speaker, nancy pelosi, sounded a note of optimism that democrats will pass a reform bill. and president obama has delayed an overseas trip to help push the process forward. senior congressional correspondent, dana bash, live from capitol hill with the latest. and, zan dana, what are you hea? >> reporter: we are hearing that the push is really on, and the push is to find the votes especially in the house of representatives. there was yet another meeting of house democrats to discuss this issue, the issue of health care and the process. and really the policy and what exactly they are talking about passing. but as you said, the house speaker came out in her weekly press conference, right after that meeting, and she did sound more optimistic than we've heard pretty much any of the democratic leaders sound so far. take a listen -- >> i feel very exhilarated by the caucus that we had this morning in terms of the questions that members have. we spent a good deal of time on pro -- on the substance, but then some on the process as well. and we stand ready to stay as long as it takes to pass the bill. i think members are eager to pass a bill and, again, it won't be long before we'll be making a real difference in lives of the american people. >> reporter: now, one of the house leaders told me and other reporters that he expects the house to vote in the next ten days. and, of course, the president delayed his trip, his international trip, a few days. he was supposed to leave the end of next week. he delafed it a few days, is and that was for one specific reason, because democrats in the house said we need you to stay here. this is your signature issue. this is it. we need you to help twist arms and there's going to be a lot of arm twisting in the next weeks or so. >> you mentioned the arm twisting, how are house democrats going to overcome the opposition in their own ranks on the subject of abortion? >> reporter: it's going to be very difficult. the number two in the house, steny hoyer, told me this morning that he has been talking to kind of the lead anti-abortion democrat, his name is bart stupak, bart stupak of michigan, but he's not negotiating with him. this is very technical, but they're talking about passing -- the house passing the senate bill. >> yep. >> reporter: and then both the house and the senate passing a package of changes, of course, through reconciliation, which we've been talking about. the issue of abortion for technical reasons really can't be put through that -- through that package, so there's very little that they can do in the short term to try to answer some of the concerns of anti-abortion democrats, that the senate bill simply doesn't go far enough in restricting abortions. so, basically in talking to democratic sources in the house, tony, what they say is that they understand that they will probably lose some democrats. >> yep. >> reporter: who think that they're just opposed to this on policy and on principle, but they're hoping that there are enough democrats that are more interested in the bigger bill and the bigger policy issue of health care reform that they can be persuaded. unclear if they can do that right now, but that's what they're hoping. >> here we go, dash to the finish, our senior connellgressional correspondent, dana bash for you. thank you. >> reporter: thank you. here's the explainer on the process we've been talking about, known as reconciliation, the democrats plan to use pass health care reform. reconciliation is a measure to pass contentious budget legislation while avoiding a filibuster threat. it allows for a 51-vote majority in the senate. reconciliation was used in 1989 to pass a medicare overhaul for physician payments. in 1996 it was used to pass the welfare overhaul, and it was used to enact the bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. other big stories we are following for you in the "newsroom." talking strategy at the white house. the focus, afghanistan and pakistan. president obama gathered his national security team together last hour for an update on the fight against the taliban. earlier this week, britain's foreign secretary said the u.s. was on the right track. >> i think that there's a very strong feeling now that following the implementation of general mcchrystal's new strategy, following the progress in the south of afghanistan, following the efforts of the pakistan authorities on the pakistan side of the border, now is the right time to set out and to create a more inclusive political settlement in afghanistan. no to those who are linked to al qaeda. no to those who won't live within the afghan constitution, but others should be in the political ring of afghanistan. >> yeah, but more evidence on just how volatile that region is. at least 39 people were killed in suicide attacks in lahore, pakistan, today. two bombers struck within seconds of each other. the pakistani military was the apparent target. but most of the victims were civilians, many on their way to friday prayers. the fbi trying to determine if a former nuclear power plant worker from new jersey is a member of al qaeda. and if so, how he passed security screenings. 26-year-old sharif mobley was arrested in yemen this month in a roundup of suspected al qaeda members. he was being treated at a hospital there when he allegedly killed one guard and wounded another in an escape attempt over the weekend. toxic dust payout. new york city agrees to a $657 million settlement for ground zero emergency workers. the deal goes before a federal judge today. anthony johnson of affiliate wabc has details on the settlement and the turmoil over rebuilding the site. >> reporter: the settlement covers 10,000 men and women who say their health was ruined by working at ground zero in a toxic environment. the plaintiffs would share up to $657 million. the money will come from a billion dollar insurance fund established by congress. >> i'm 52 years old. and they told me i got the lungs of a 90-year-old man. >> reporter: in addition to the approval from the judge, the settlement must be agreed to by 95% of the plaintiffs. one-third of the settlement money will go to the lawyers for the plaintiffs. legal fees for defending the city, and its contractors already have topped $200 million. >> what do we want? when do we want it? >> now! >> reporter: it's the lack of money for new construction that haunts the second set of negotiations. eight years of delays and false starts put an angry edge on tuesday's protest by construction workers. >> we want the red tape stopped. we need the economy to get going. >> reporter: the port authority and developer larry silverstein, has been boriargaining through night to meet today's deadline on what to build. they also disagree on how to pay for anything. >> what we're not willing to do is do a complete public bailout of private infrastructure. >> reporter: city leaders say it's time to deal. >> lock yourself in a room! put a couple of nypd guys or gals outside of the door! have you guys waiting down here, and tell them not to come out until they've got some good news! >> wow. okay. that hearing this afternoon over the $657 million settlement is at 2:00 p.m. eastern time. as soon as we hear a decision, we'll bring it to you right here in the "cnn newsroom." dwindling budgets forcing tough choices for america's educators. first, though, our "random moment" in 90 seconds. what was that? we're back in a moment. we have all this energy here in the u.s. we have wind. we have solar, obviously. we have lots of oil. i think natural gas is part of the energy mix of the future. i think we have the can-do. we have the capability. we have the technology. the solutions are here. we just need to find them here. you know what, you can look, but don't you dare touch our "random moment of the day"! >> you can't touch this. ♪ ♪ can't touch this >> yeah. the world cup trophy visited >> reporte cnn's london bureau today, it's ahead of the big turn the. cnn is scrambling to get into the picture, look at this. but no one dared grope the golden statute, regulations say only winners of the game can touch the iconic trophy, the big trophy, or foosball as they like to say. our "random moment of the day" time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. but with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine. it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. and that's good because the competition's steep today. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air.™ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the cadillac cts sports sedan. one of car and driver's 10 best for the third year in a row. ♪ and now, for qualified current lessees, cadillac announces the new luxury collection lease. you know, this week we have been talking about the economy and how it is affecting education, from closing popular programs to closing entire schools. educators having to make some very difficult decisions. we want to know how they're coping. joining me here in the "newsroom," georgia school superintendent, kathy cox. kathy, good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> good to see you. and here from phoenix, tom horn, the school superintendent from arizona. tom, good to see you. we'll talk to you in a second. you look at the situation in kansas city and you see the superintendent there is having to close 21 of the 68 schools, detroit is going to announce a similar plan next week to close 40 schools. districts are going to four days of teaching. longer days. what are you facing here in georgia? >> some of the same circumstances. districts really having to face the reality of just absolute plummeting state revenues for everything, but especially education. we've seen our state revenue picture drop by almost $3 billion in about 19 months' time. >> wow. >> and so you just can't avoid hitting k-12 education which is the single largest portion of our state budget. >> yeah. >> so, our districts, we're trying to manage some of this. of course, the stimulus money is helping. we're moving some of our plans to spend that federal stimulus money that we were going to save for 11, we're having to move that into this fiscal year to get us through this fiscal year. but then, of course, there's the effect, and once that's gone, so our school districts are doing the same thing. they're looking at closing schools, stopping programs. i'm very worried about art and music programs across our state. and the other big concern i have is larger class size. >> right. >> and teacher layoffs. >> right. you know, you look at a county here in georgia like cobb, and that's one of the counties that we think of as being pretty flush, right? what does it say that healthier, wealthier usually property-tax-flush counties are finding themselves in budget trouble as well? >> well, this whole economic crisis started with a crisis in real estate and house. >> yep, yep, yep. >> and so even your wealthier counties that have depended on property tax revenue, that's gone. home values have -- have plummeted. local property tax digests have plumb emmett meted and local sy people are unemployed, we're facing record unemployment here in georgia. >> right, right. double digits, right, 10 point something? >> and it's unheard of. >> kathy, hang on, let me get tom in here. tom, as i read some of your comments, it sounds like -- it sounds like you're in pretty good shape k-12? is that true? >> no. i wouldn't say we're in good shape. the state as a whole has a $10 billion budget with estimated revenues of $6.5 billion. most of the cuts -- what you may be referring to is the cut to basic state aid is small because we guarantee to the federal government we wouldn't go below the 2006 level. >> yes. >> and we've already reached that. but -- but there's cuts to a lot of what are called nonformula line items, which are things outside of that calculation, and so we're losing our adult education, where people can get geds, we're losing all-day kinlder garten which a major blow to the academic progress to kids later on. we're losing policemen in schools in high-crime areas that were a big help, chemical prevention programs, we're losing a lot of the special programs that will have an impact on our academic performance. >> for both of you, kathy and tom, take a listen to the question i asked of the superintendent of broward county schools. this was on wednesday. and then, if you would, take a stab at this very same question. do we need to come up with a -- with a different funding mechanism for schools? >> we believe so, tony. you know, the volatility, frankly, of sales tax -- >> yes. >> -- and property tax, it's really difficult to forecast your budget each year. >> yeah. so, what would you do? do you have any thoughts, any suggestions, on what that other option would be? >> you know, tony, what i would do, take the brightest minds of the country and lock them in a room and say you can't come out until such time as you have a formula that will ultimately consistently fund public education. >> i like that. >> it the engine that drives our economy, and frankly, it's what's made america great. >> wow, so, look, lock everyone in the room and let's come up with a different funding formula. kathy, to you first, do we need to come up with a new model for funding education in the country? >> i would say that that would be a priority. but in the meantime, in our state, we know that there is a source of revenue for k-12 that's not being tapped. we have lottery funds. and when that was passed in the state, k-12 education was supposed to be part of the recipient of those proceeds. for the last, about, eight years, however, we have not been. and our suggestion -- >> why not? whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, fly by that. why? >> good question. but it went to pre-k programs and the hope scholarship, which is postsecondary education has taken the lion's share of the k-12 budget. in the down times, people still buy lottery tickets. we're seeing lottery revenue still continue on the upward even in hard times, so my suggestion is let's raise lottery ticket prices 50 cents and guarantee that money -- >> okay. >> -- in the k-12, we could have about $350 million for k-12 education. >> all right, you're talking solutions here. tom, what do you think? a different funding model for education in the country? >> in arizona we do have equal funding. it doesn't matter if you're in a wealthy area or a poor area, you get the same amount per student and building moneys as well. so, we are at an advantage there. basically when the economy turns around, the revenues will go up. right now we're in a crisis, the whole economy's in a crisis, and it's hard to avoid that affecting education, as it affects all of the economy. >> yeah. >> but hopefully the economy will -- will come back. and then our receive news will go up. >> tom, appreciate it, kathy, good to see you both. boy, thank you, good discussion. you know, we've asked you to weigh in with your solutions to slashed budget, teacher layoffs and a shortage of classes. here are some of your suggestions -- >> caller: how do you resolve the issue with the education? get rid of tenure. >> caller: i would suggest that the parents start home schooling. >> caller: they're talking about laying off teachers and getting rid of middle school sports. which is tough, but what choice do they have? >> caller: one solution to this problem would be to nationalize the curriculum. every state, every city, every county will have the same sir curriculum across the board. >> the state governors seem to agree with that proposal. let's keep the conversation going. if you have a solution, give us a call, there's the number, 1-877-742-5760, right there on your screen. another stormy day across the south. already severe in places like florida. reynolds wolf is up next, and he will show us where the storms are right now, and the weekend outlook. we're back in a moment. and you have a heart attack. that's what happened to me. i'm on an aspirin regimen now. my doctor told me it's the easiest preventative thing you can do. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. see your doctor. simple. but it can't have... can't have about half a i assure you it does. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes. and checking our top stories now -- israel has sealed off the west bank for 48 hours and has heightened security in jerusalem. this follows israel's announcement this week that it plans to build hundreds of new apartments on disputed land in east jerusalem. the wife of senate majority leader harry reid is in serious condition following a traffic accident. 69-year-old landra reid broke her neck and back when the minivan she was riding in was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer yesterday. it happened outside of washington. reid's daughter was also hurt. she is out of the hospital. one nation under god, many of us said it in school, and judges in california say it's okay to keep saying it. the 9th u.s. circuit court of appeals in san francisco has ruled the pledge of allegiance is patriotic, not religious. the atheist who filed suit said he will appeal again. another check of our top stories in 20 minutes. let's do this. there's the man, reynolds wolf in the severe weather center, and, boy, where do you want to begin? >> why don't we start off with where we left off in parts of florida. tony, the rain was coming down like a sack of hammers, straight-line wind and tornadoes in the area. this is in zephryhills, south of the i-4 corridor, a lot of damage, major cleanup today, no question. a lot of weather in the sunshine state, but this time the focus is a little farther to the south. let's go right to the magic wall and as we do, it's easy to say from i-95 to i-75 north of alligator alley, that's where you see the impulse of energy sweeping through. west of palm beach, a few scattered showers, but the pure bulk of the rainfall moving through cape coral and about to head towards miami, ft. lauderdale and west palm beach. so, what we're going to see ing over the next day or so, it's moving from the great lakes into the ohio valley. what it's going to do could be very interesting, and the heavy rainfall could pick up on the parts of the eastern seaboard. off the outer banks are seeing scattered showers. washington could be a place where you could see possibly 2 to 4 inches of rainfall all due to the low we're talking about for this weekend that is expected to drive eastward, intensify, tap into the moisture from the atlantic ocean. we could be seeing some heavy rainfall, some strong winds, and there's the possibility we could have flooding in places like pittsburgh, a place that is, again -- the temperatures have been fairly warm, have melted all that snowpack. the ground is saturated. the last thing you need, of course, is more rainfall. something else we do need to do is tell you about daylight saving time. it is that time again, tony, so late night on saturday -- >> right. >> -- you pull the watches out. you got to set them -- i guess we spring forward. >> spring forward. >> so we lose an hour. >> but we get the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. >> how fun is that? come on, who wants an extra hour of sleep. >> i'm trying to get a golf game in shape here so i can take your money and marciano's money, the babies need shoes. i need the extra hour. thank you, reynolds, talk to you soon. why are so many of our children overweight and what can we do about it? it's "what matters" and that's next. you know, a third of american children are considered overweight or obese. but with black and hispanic children, that number rises to half. childhood obesity is what we're talking about in our "what matters" segment today, weight can increase the risk for medical problems such as diabetes and heart disease. but you know that. and issues usually associated with adults are hitting more and more kids. joining us to talk about tackling childhood obesity is dr. ian smith, he is a diet and medical expert on the vh-1 show, celebrity fit club" and the founder of the 50 million-pound challenge. man, you are good on that show. i am glad -- >> thank you. >> you are so good on that program! i watch and you were able to get some pounds off of bobby brown, so i believe in you. >> thank you, tony. >> doctor, tell me why you think, and you're pretty strong on this, childhood obesity is one of the most critical and embarrassing -- you used the word "embarrassing" -- health crises facing america. >> absolutely. tony, there are too many people with photo opportunities saying childhood obesity is a problem, we all know it's a problem, but the question is what are we going to do about it, not from a philosophical standpoint, but an action plan. if you look at the inactivity level of our children and the foods they are eating, for example, in school cafeterias, it is embarrassing to us as a great nation that we allow our children to put these bad foods into their bodies even in school in a controlled environment. that's not even to talk about what's happening at home. this is a time now where we're facing an epidemic for sure. >> right. >> that we need to stepped tide and make real actionable plans here. >> nice. >> rather than talk about the dangers of it. >> good. we'll talk about it in a second here. you have a potentially powerful asset, ally, with the first lady. she's recently talked about taking on childhood obesity. take a listen. >> let's stop wringing our hands and citing statistics, let's act. let's move. let's give our children they deserve. i look forward to working with all of you in the efforts in the months and years ahead. i'm going to need you. i'm going to kneeled you championing these causes, giving me feedback, giving me direction and guidance. it will not work any other way. and our kids can't afford for us to get this wrong. >> so, ian, here's the thing. you're even aggressive with the administration. you want -- you want the administration to be even more proactive. what do you want to see from the president and the first lady here? >> i want it to have some bite as well as the bark, tony. >> yeah. >> i want to us realize not to sit there and talk about it, but let's say we go to schools district by district and, for example, say we are going to mandz date that kids ead three servings of whole grains per day, we'll mandate that kids are not allowed to drink beverages that have 160 calories in it, we have to actually get detailed about what we're going to children. mandate that we're not allowed to take physical education classes out of schools anymore. these days local school districts can cancel gym classes which is how kids get their physical activity. we have to go in there. >> doc, have you been listening, schools are cutting out band and gym and all kinds of fis scal education programs being wiped out now because of the recession. >> it's unbelievable. here's the idea, though, it's a question of where you want to put taxpayer dollars. i have two kids. i want my taxpayer dollars to go into the future, i want to invest in the health of my children, your children, my neighbors' children. >> yes. >> we don't invest now in their health, we'll produce a generation that has type ii diabetes, early heart disease and high cholesterol levels and do you know what will happen, the death rate will increase dramatically in younger people. now's the time to act. let's not wait 10 to 15 years from now and say how did it all happen? it happened because we did nothing now. >> dr. ian smith, you are powerful. i want to gain weight just to lose it on the program. no, that's not true. have a great weekend. >> thanks, tony. >> to read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up "essence" magazine on newsstands now. or go online to cnn.com/whatmatters. gm dealerships await word from detroit. today is the day that many find out if they will keep the showroom over or shut the doors forever. we're back in a moment. 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let's go to new york and cnn's ines ferre. good to see you, lady. what do you have for us? >> good to see you, tony. well, yeah, gm says about a quarter of the dealerships it planned to shut will remain open, 661 to be exact, and they are expected to be notified on their new dealer. karl porter of affiliate kare takes a look. >> reporter: residents rely on stillwater motors, for reasons deeper than just service. >> it's more than just selling cars. it's deeper than that. it was personal. >> reporter: it's a third-generation family dealership from the old days. >> here on the other lot -- >> reporter: but last year when general motors needed to restructure, they discontinued their franchise to about 2,000 dealerships nationwide, including stillwater, where their buick franchise was yanked. >> we have a pretty big customer base that came through that bought their buicks, and the ability not to serve them, as we had in the past, well, it affected us and the community. >> reporter: they were pretty nervous. chrysler already terminated their jeep franchise and now buick was on the chopping block. >> happy to have buick back. >> reporter: but feelings have shifted this week. >> giddy comes to mind. >> reporter: to avoid a very large arbitration process, gm reinstated over 600 dealerships including stillwater's. >> we're back in the buick business. >> reporter: they're getting back to business. >> yeah, i'll take that. >> reporter: chevy and buick. >> i'm going to sign up for 60 cars, like, right now, bring me the inventory, let's go. >> reporter: stillwater was collected because of their impressive building and good quotas among other things. >> keep the people we have and give us renewed opportunities to grow. >> reporter: and perhaps the history and their meaning to the community. >> that's what's real for me. i was afraid i wouldn't be able to buy a buick here any further. that's good news. >> reporter: and for more jor. johnson, lifetime customer for good. >> and of the 2,400 dealerships gm targeted for closure, about half that number filed for arbitration. analysts say gm probably determined it will save time and money by reinstating the dealerships rather than going through the arbitration process. and on the phone, we've got scott adams, he's the president of adams automotive group, and he's been fighting to keep his chevrolet dealership in belton, missouri. scott, thanks for joining us. and can you tell us right now, what's the status of your dealership? >> well, i would say we're cautiously optimistic is the kind of word we're using right now. we've been contacted by general motors. they told us that they've got some stuff they want to talk to us about. that it will probably be confidential, and sort of be careful what you wish for. you filed for arbitration. you think you ought to stay as a dealer, so be careful what you wish for, you may get what you want. >> so, they haven't told you yes, they haven't told you no. have you been told why they wanted to close your dealership in the first place? >> no. that was one of the things about the original closure that was kind of strange. they never told each individual dealer what we did wrong or what we could cure. they just had some formula somewhere that told them that, what they wanted to hear, but they never told the dealer what we did wrong. >> so, you have no idea why. can you also describe this process, what it's been like? i mean, you've got employees there that are working. what are they feeling right now? and what are you guys doing? >> well, i don't know that i'm as giddy as the man in minnesota was, but they're certainly happy that at least we're getting some answers to the questions, that there's some chance that we can continue or were that there's some chance that we can cure whatever the problem was. because we've been a dealer for a long, long time. we're third generation as well. that dealership has been there since the '30s. we're a part of the community. everybody wants to know what we're going to do moving forward. >> and right now, you don't have any new cars coming in. correct? >> we haven't had a new car come in since july. we can still do parts. we can still do service. we can still sell them, but as part of the winddown, general motors didn't ship us any more cars, so we're hoping for an answer quickly or else we'll lose the whole, complete 2010 model year. >> okay, scott, thanks so much for joining us. and, tony, as you can see -- >> oh, yeah. >> -- there are some people still waiting for an answer. >> hey, will you keep us posted on scott's situation? look, he's right there in middle of america, and we got to keep middle america working. please, ines, if you would, keep us posted, thank you. you know, ncaa facebook is everywhere. and now a friend turns up in a place you'd never expect. [ crowd cheering ] [ male announcer ] competition... it pushes us to work harder. to be better. to win. but sometimes even rivals realize they share a common goal. america's beverage companies have removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools, reducing beverage calories by 88%. together with schools, we're helping kids make more balanced choices every day. ♪ all right. top stories now -- house speaker, nancy pelosi, expressed optimism today that democrats will pass health care reform. pelosi said she felt exhilarated after meeting with democrats this morning. president obama has delayed an overseas trip in the final push for a reform package. a deadly day in eastern pakistan. twin suicide attacks have killed at least 39 people in the city of lahore. police say the bombers detonated explosives within seconds of each other in an area filled with pakistani military. most of the victims, however, very civilians. the fda out with a new warning on the popular blood-thinning drug plavix. it says some patients with a certain genetic variation can't metabolize the drug, and that puts them at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. facebook is everywhere, it seems, even death row. reporter nate moribido, with tennessee affiliate, jhl, has the story. >> reporter: although nicholas johnson last stepped foot in the tricities in november, his friends and family can see him online just about every day. it appears johnson first signed up for facebook in august, 2009, since then he's added pictures of himself and his kids for all 232 of his friends to see. but death-row inmates in tennessee are not allowed to use the internet. that means someone on the outside is controlling johnson's page on his behalf. >> he's likely talking to someone on the phone or by mail and they are posting the messages for him on facebook. >> reporter: the messages still have a personal feel to them. one posted last month reads, "love you all." another, "just want to let you all know on my facebook family, all your e-mails and comments are keeping me strong. thank you." >> we are seeing a number of inmates who have either attorneys or friends in the free world who are accessing social media on their behalf, although they can't do it. they are still getting messages out there. >> reporter: although we could not find out the person behind the messages, johnson's mother chimed in on her son's facebook account. over the phone, kathy bunch said, quote, a lot of people love him. you can see that. they understand that the story that he's a monster can't be right. everybody knows that's not the case. still, the state urges people who friend inmates online to be cautious. >> we are talking about some people who are incarcerated who may take advantage of -- of an innocent person in the free world. >> reporter: that said, although what sent johnson to prison in the first place was illegal, his actions online are not breaking any rules. in johnson city, nate moribido. here's a question for you. how much money do we have? and how much debt are we carrying? the answer may surprise you. to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists. i need you to reach out to the program. i need you to talk to me directly. a couple ways you can do that, first of all, cnn.com/tony, takes you directly to this, bam, our blog page. if you'd like to send us your thoughts on facebook, here's what you do, tonyharriscnn. here's my swtwitter address, tonyharriscnn, call us, pick up the phone, 1-877-742-5760. let's have more of your thoughts on the program. 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"but medical mafia don pleads guilty." got some good headlines over there. if you want the latest financial news and analysis, our money team does a terrific job. we'll talk to a member of that fantastic money team in just a moment. cnnmoney.com. better than three hours into the trading day on a friday. taking a look at the numbers on the big board, we are down. we've been flat most of the day, we're negative, eight points. nasdaq last check down three. you know, if you want a sure sign that the recovery's on track, listen to this -- americans have more money now than we did during the depths of the recession. stephanie elam is in new york with details of a new report. explain this to me, here, stephanie. >> yeah. well, tony, we've actually made quite a turnaround in just a year. in 2009 the total net worth of americans jumped by nearly $3 trillion, with a "t," that compares to 2008 when our net worth declined by $11 trillion. the federal reserve report counts assets like your home and takes a look at checking accounts and investments and then subtracts debts like mortgages and credit cards. here's what was going on in the fourth quarter of last year. home values, they held steady. stock portfolios jumped and that's the biggest bulk of this, we've had the big run-up since march of last year, remember, tony, that helped to factor to bring people's portfolios back, and we've cut debt. although we're not where we were when the recession began we are at least moving in the right correcti direction. >> can we talk about debt here for a second, because that's something we all have control over. are people learning their lesson and taking on less debt? >> yeah, that is part of it. but there's something else going on here as well, most of the reduction in debt came about because so many people defaulted on their mortgages and other loans like credit cards, so it's not that we're paying those things off, but instead banks wrote those loans off and took a loss on them. but if there is any silver lining here, it's the idea that in order to get back on our feet and start serving, we have to work through all of that debt first. i think for some people, they've just really learned to not live so far out of their means because of this recession and that may help us as we move forward. things got to get better this time, that's important, instead of relying on credit so much. >> that's smart. just being smart about it. stephanie, appreciate it, have a great weekend. >> sure. what is everybody talking about on the internet today? our ines ferre tells us what's hot. that's next. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the cadillac cts sports sedan. one of car and driver's 10 best for the third year in a row. ♪ and now, for qualified current lessees, cadillac announces the new luxury collection lease. all right. let's do this. let's take a look at the stories generates buzz on the internet today. it's all about what you're talking about, and ines ferre joining us from new york. ines, all right, all right, what is hot out there today? >> all right, trending the internet from cnn.com today, a lesbian high school student is suing her mississippi school district trying to force it to reinstate her high school prom. the school has a ban on same-sex dates, the 18-year-old constance mcmillan wanted to bring her girlfriend, school officials since canceled the prom. and, tony, a new development here on this story, a hotel owner has offered to host a free prom for the kids at one of his properties. >> okay. that's a new development there. >> yeah. it might be even better than the one they were planning to go to. next one from cnn.com. chaz bono's gender transformation back in the '70s chastity bono was the adorable little girl on stage with sonny and cher, but even as a child she said she felt different. last night on "anderson cooper 360" chaz explained what it was like. >> i know that, you know, i am so much happier, more confident. i don't know, you know, i mean, my life just feels right now, and there was always some kind of unease within myself before that just doesn't exist anymore. >> i want to play a brief clip back from the "sonny and cher" show, where most americans got to know you, when i first saw you as a little kid watching you on tv. >> and here's our own very special guest -- >> tonight and every night. >> our little girl chastity. say good night. >> good night. god bless you. >> when most americans saw you was back on "the sonny and cher show" and when i was watching you on that, when you see that image of yourself and video of yourself as a child, when you see pictures of yourself as a child, what do you see? i mean, what was -- was it that early on that you already felt a sense of -- of being different? >> you know, i don't like -- i mean, i'm watching what you guys have on right now. that young, i don't really have a lot of memory of. but as i got older and my parents -- my parents, i think, did a season of their show after they divorced, and i was older by then, and i realized that. and i know that there was definitely a time that i requested, you know, no more dresses. i kind of, you know, put a stop to that. and i think i asked them, see you can see there, now this is -- i'm a little older. i'm in overalls and -- >> that was part of your request? you didn't want to be in dresses? >> that was my request, absolutely, yeah. >> and part three of anderson cooper's interview with chaz bono airs on "ac360," and a reminder this weekend on cnn, the story of a person who seemed so have a perfect life until their lifelong struggle with gender identity, and we follow her transition from male to female in the documentary, "her name was steven," premiering this weekend saturday and sunday night at 8:00 eastern. tony? >> all right, ines, have a great weekend. see you on monday. >> you, too. you, too. i -- i got to tell you something, i love this next story, because i know it's going to get you yelling at the television set. a sorority puts its foot down and sparks a cultural controversy. 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